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Delicious Valentine's Day choices from The Bon Appetit Cookbook

Bon Appetit magazine has been publishing recipes and matters of cuisine for fifty years and this is their first cookbook! You can imagine it is a BIG cookbook. And it is…791 pages with about 1200 of their hand-picked all-time favorite recipes.

I was duly impressed to read that Barbara Fairchild, the author, has been with the magazine for 29 years, starting as an editorial assistant and now editor-in-chief. Barbara’s singular professional commitment to the magazine gives hope to others willing to start anywhere and work their way to the top.

So, it was with great excitement that I paged through The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Publisher John Wiley & Sojns) thinking of the marvelous Valentine’s Day feature stories they possibly published over these last 50 years. What romantic dinners they might have inspired; what engagements and marriages might have been celebrated through the offerings in the magazine’s pages… oh, the stories that could be told of all those lovely meals and loving people in the past fifty years.

So, with Cupid’s bow poised, I submit to you that The Bon Appetit Cookbook might just be a cookbook you’d love to buy for yourself. The recipes will prove themselves as lovely choices for years to come. Bon Appetit!

Heart-shaped scones can be made a day in advance. Pop them into the oven on Valentines’ Day and in about 20 minutes you’ll have edible love, with butter if you like.

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

(Makes about 12)

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced

3 tsp. grated orange peel, divided

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup chilled buttermilk

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Additional buttermilk (for glaze)

Butter and flour baking sheet.

Whisk flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and 2 teaspoons orange peel; rub in with finger tips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in chocolate chips.

Whisk 2/3 cup buttermilk, egg yolk and vanilla extract in a small bowl to blend.

Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into a ball. Press dough on lightly floured surface to ¾-inch thickness. Using 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps, press out dough and cut out additional scones. Transfer to a baking dish, spacing 1-inch apart. (Can be prepared 1 day head. Cover and chill.)

To bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix remaining 3 tablespoons sugar with remaining l teaspoon orange peel in small bowl. Brush scones lightly with buttermilk. Sprinkle with orange-sugar. Bake until scones are crusty on top and tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes (or up to 20 minutes if refrigerated). Serve warm or at room temperature.

A fancy appetizer starts a celebration on the proper note. Here Brie is baked with a carmelized onion topping that can be readied a day or so in advance. Serve with slices of French-style bread.

Baked Brie with Carmelized Onions

(8 to 10 servings)

2 tbsp. butter

8 cups sliced onions (about 4)

1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme

4 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup dry white wine, divided

1 tsp. sugar

1 8-inch diameter, 32-36 ounce French brie, packed in wooden box (do not discard box)

French bread baguettes, sliced

Melt butter in a heavy very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; saute just until tender, about 6 minutes. Add thyme; reduce heat to medium and cook until onions, are golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup wine; stir until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over onions and sauté until soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup wine; stir just until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap Brie, reserving bottom of wooden box. Cut away only top rind of cheese, leaving rind on sides and bottom intact. Return Brie to box, rind side down. Place box on baking sheet. Top Brie evenly with onion mixture. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Transfer Brie in box to platter. Surround with baguette slices.

Try this brined pork roast and see how very moist and tender pork can be; onion compote takes this entrée to flavor heights usually found only in chic restaurants.

Brined Pork Loin with Onion, Raisin and

Garlic Compote

(8 servings)

8 cups water

½ cup coarse kosher salt

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 tbsp. fennel seeds

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tbsp. whole black peppers

3 bay leaves

1 center-cut boneless pork loin roast (about 4 pounds)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. chopped fresh sage

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp. chopped fresh marjoram

Pepper

To brine: Combine first seven ingredients in a heavy large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Remove brine from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer brine to a very large bowl. Add pork (weight pork with plate to keep submerged in brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain pork. Return pork to bowl; cover with cold water (weight pork to keep submerged in water) Soak pork at room temperature 2 hours.

Position oven rack to the top third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Drain pork; pat dry. Transfer pork to rack set in a large roasting pan. Rub pork all over with oil. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle with pepper. Roast until thermometer

inserted into the center of the roast registers 150 degrees, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board; tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let stand 15 minutes.

Cut pork crosswise into ¼ to ½-inch thick slice. Arrange on platter. Serve with Onion Compote.

Onion Compote

1 lb. pearl onions

¼ cup butter

24 cloves garlic, peeled

1 ½ cups tawny Port

¼ cup white wine vinegar

4 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup raisins

1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add onions and boil 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse onions under cold water to cool. Trim root end slightly, leaving root base intact, and peel onions.

Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and bay leaf; sauté until garlic is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add Port, vinegar, sugar, and salt; simmer 8 minutes, stirring until sugar and salt dissolves. Add onions and raisins. Simmer until onions are tender and liquid thicken enough to coat spoon, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Discard bay leaf. Season compote to taste with salt and pepper. (Compote can be made l day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Re-warm over medium heat before serving.) Serve compote warm.

A simple dessert can be the perfect touch for a fine dinner. This lemon cake, perhaps served with strawberries, is light and luscious and not too filling.

Lemon Crumb Cake

(8 to 10 servings)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

4 tsp. grated lemon rind

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Powdered sugar

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly butter and flour 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Stir flour, 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, lemon rind, and cinnamon in large bowl to blend. Add oil and lemon juice; mix until flour is evenly moistened and mixture forms clumps. Set aside 1 cup mixture for topping.

Whisk sour cream, egg, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl until well blended. Add sour cream mixture to crumb mixture in large bowl; using electric mixer, beat until batter is smooth.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved topping over batter. Bake until tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool. (Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand at room temperature.)

Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Cut into squares to serve.

 

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